


Father’s Chance

by kunoko



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Good Dad Shido, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-11-27 13:51:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18195434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kunoko/pseuds/kunoko
Summary: Thank you for the interest and kind words!~ ^u^ I’ve always wanted to do something where Shido properly took care of Goro (or at least tried to) but I was always a bit afraid it was a bit too. . .out there ^^;Consistent updates are not my forte so apologies but I will do my best to continue the story when I can!~





	1. Chapter 1

Red. That was the color that pierced through the darkness of the night, the darkness of that room too. He couldn’t take being inside anymore. If he looked he felt like he’d cry again. Mama always told him to be strong, but this? All of this was too much. He could still hear the screams in his head, he couldn’t stop replaying the scene in his mind. The neighbors all trying to gather around him as the officers escorted him out of the house. The chatter from spectators who knew nothing, yet so much. Speaking so loudly, it was as if they wanted the him to hear them talk about how terrible he was.

 

_“ With a child like that it’s no wonder…”_

 

 _“ A shame too, she was actually pretty nice. Must of been too much trying to raise that_ **_mess_ ** _. “_

 

 _“ I wonder who has to deal with_ **_that_ ** _now. “_

 

In truth, Goro did too. His mother always said his father left because he didn’t care, but she never minded. She always said he was a deadbeat anyways though she was always drinking something funny when she did. It was an adult drink that she liked having late at night. Grandma and Grandpa were out of the question. . .Mama never talked about them.

 

Goro was alone. His mother wouldn’t open her eyes again no matter how hard he shook her, no matter how loud he screamed or cried, she wouldn’t come back and it was his fault.

 

“ Ah! There you are. “ A man with white hair in a police uniform walked over to him. He sat down next to the boy on the bench and looked to him. Goro shrunk down a bit and covered himself with the blanket one of the officers had offered him when they’d first come out earlier into the afternoon. “ It’s getting cold out here. We’re going to go to the station to get warmed up, okay? “

The officer moved down to a knee and looked to Goro’s eyes. Goro looked back to the officer and nodded weakly before making a small sound of agreement. The man held out his arms and Goro moved to wrap his arms around the man tightly. Once they were up the man carried Goro to the car and placed him in the back seat. Before they left out he took one last look back and his heart rose up a bit.

The doctors were taking Mama out and putting her in the back on an ambulance! Maybe they could wake her up!

As the car started to drive off he turned to look back at them and smiled softly.

 

Maybe Mama would come back for him.

 

* * *

 

 

Once they got to the station the white haired officer talked with him for a bit. He was so cool! The officer’s stories were just like he’d always heard. Doing good and saving people. Maybe he could save Mama too. Just the thought of it put a smile on Goro’s face. His eyes lit up with amazement as he listened to the man recount his glory days of being officer.

After a while the man could tell the kid was getting tired. Seeing him smile was a nice change of pace from the child who just stared off into nowhere but all the frenzy of emotions and events had to be finally taking its toll on the kid. It was already getting pretty late either way. After a bit of asking around he got a small pillow for the kid and smiled placing it down on the couch he had been sitting on. Goro gave him a toothy smiled as he laid his head down and closed his eyes.

 

Waiting until the kid was asleep, the officer stood up and walked out of the room to simply look at the kid through one of the windows to it.

“ Officer Sanada, we managed to get in touch with his father. He’s on his way as we speak. “

 

“ Good, I’d feel bad just leaving him to sleep overnight in a station like this. “

The officer’s brows furrowed as he let out a heavy sigh.

“ The paperwork on this is going to be hell...“

 

.

.

.

It was about an hour later that the man finally showed up. He apologized profusely as he made his way to Officer Sanada, asking where Goro Akechi was. The officer’s eyes were wide, as well as many of his coworkers, as they looked to the man. He shook away the confusion and led him to the room where the boy has fallen into a deep sleep.

 

“ He’s pretty tired out, it’d probably be best to just let him sleep. “

Sanada opened the door to the room and let the man in before turning back to the others in the office.

 

 _“ Wa-was that_ **_Shido-san_ ** _? “_

 

_“ I never knew he had a son. . .”_

 

_“ He’s just as kind as people describe him to be. . .”_

 

Turning back to the room he could see Shido doing his best not to disturb the child as he picked him up. He was struggling to say the least but after a bit, Goro had wrapped around him reflexively, still sound asleep.

“ Are there any papers I should sign or anything? “

The expression on his face wasn’t something clear cut. A foreign anxiety found it way to his features and twisted them in a way the officer has never seen before.

“ We can get you too fill out most of it tomorrow morning. Just take care for now. “

 

Shido bowed his head and said a thanks once more before rushing out of the station and getting in his car. He couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d gotten himself into this. He knew about the kid, that wasn’t a surprise. What had been was getting a call during a meeting and being told he was the _only_ one who’d picked up regarding this kid. His higher ups were going to have his ass for this and he knew it.

As he came to a stoplight he let out a heavy sigh and looked to the back seat. Goro was still asleep. He never thought he’d see a day where he of all people was taking a kid back to his place, especially his own son. For sure he was frustrated and knowing the situation didn’t ease any of it either.

 

Leaving a child in such a way was more selfish than anything he’d ever done. What kind of mother would even think of such a thing! One unfit for such a position that was for damn sure! And now he was stuck with cleaning up the mess she left. Saying he regretted what he’d done back then wouldn’t even begin to encapsulate what he felt in the moment. He’d have to go to the gym sometime to let this stress out, that was if he could even find the time.

He’d never taken care of a child before and never cared to but it was a mess he’d taken part in making, the least he could do was attempt taking care of him. If that failed, there was alway putting him in a foster home.

 

* * *

 

 

When he’d arrived at his high rise he let out a soft sigh. This was not how he’d expected to spend his night. He locked up and kicked off his shoes walking to the guest bedroom he’d had. Though he never really had them, it was certainly a nice room to have even if this wasn’t how he imagined he’d use it. He laid Goro down in bed, careful to not take his blanket off of him as he pulled the covers over him. He set down a bag one of the officers gave him telling him it was the kid’s stuff. He’d have to put that up later. As of now he had not much time to finish working on a few documents with the little energy he’d had left.

Going into the makeshift study he’d set up for himself, he pulled off his coat and hunched over his desk, reading over propositions and the like. Having missed the latter part of the meeting, it was a cut into _his_ free time to read all of this though he couldn’t really say there was much this was interrupting.

Taking in a 4 year old and trying to care for him while still advancing his career. He couldn’t help but envision the troubles this would cause, not just with his schedule but with the public as well. Perhaps he could shift it in his favor. Having a record as clean as his meant he could say anything and the public would believe him without fail though he still had quite a few who hated him for seemingly no reason.

Those things would have to be thought about later, for now work was the priority and engrossing himself in it wouldn’t be a problem.

.

.

.

_She was so happy, the smile that was on her face betrayed the frown that had been there for so long. She was talking to a friend, laughing. It was all so bright and happy. When she’d walked over to her son, she handed him a bit of money. She’d told him to get whatever type of snack he wanted from the store around the corner. He wasn’t one to complain, hugging his mother and smiling at her._

 

_“ I love you mama!~ “_

 

_“ I love you too Goro-chan~ Now go on, they have their special sale today on the strawberry cakes~ “_

 

_He nodded his head frantically, smiling as he pulled on his shoes and ran around the block, skipping and twirling as he did. Mama was better now! She hadn’t even been drinking he feel better juice and she was so happy. It’d been so long since he’d seen that smile on her face._

 

_He managed to get the last one of the strawberry cheesecakes and wondered how proud Mama would be of him. When he got home he set the cake down on the coffee table and looked around. She wasn’t in the kitchen and she wasn’t in her room. He went to check the balcony but still no sign of her._

_“ Mama? “_

_Maybe she just went out to go see her friend! They were talking about meeting up. He sat down on the couch and his hands gripped his pants tightly and he sat still, silent, the only noise he could hear was the tv, a first._

_He turned his head to the bathroom and he could swear he’d heard water running. He got up and walked over to the door, almost falling back when he noticed he’d gotten his socks wet. Why was it red?_

_He twisted the door knob, trying to see if it was open but to no avail. It was locked._

_“ Mama? Are you okay? Mama! “_

_He frowned and he started to worry. He jiggled the door knob roughly, it was easier to force it open if he’d been able to get it to not catch when he’d tried to knock it open. After a few tries, the door flew open and Goro lost his balance, falling onto his hands and knees in the water. His eyes widened and he’d crawled back on his hands and knees, no sound able to come from his mouth._

 

_She was pale, the tub was full off red, her eyes looked far off. The boy was shaking but still, he couldn’t just leave her like that. He rushed up to turn of the tub water and pulled at her arm, all that did was make more water splash out on him. Despite that, he did it again. It always got her to wake up! Why wasn’t she waking u-_

 

_Her head turned and she eyed Goro closely before yanking him into the tub with her._

_“ It should have been you. . .if you hadn’t been born then maybe I wouldn’t be so miserable trying to care for such an ungrateful child. “_

_He wanted to get out and run away but she was hugging him so tightly. He felt like he was being crushed. Those spectator’s voices cut in._

 

**_Disobedient. Burden. Worthless. Disgrace._ **

 

_They wouldn’t stop, no matter how much he screamed for them to. He just wanted it all to stop._

 

_He just wanted Mama back._

 

* * *

 

 

Goro’s eyes shot open and he screamed out sitting up and looking around the room frantically. It was dark and he could hear rain pouring down. When had that started? More importantly where was he? He jumped down from the bed, standing on shaky legs he just barely managed to get to follow his wishes.

He moved to the door that was slightly cracked and pushed it open, just so he could slip out. It was clear this wasn’t the station. It was an apartment. Someone’s place. Was it the officer that took him home? He had fallen asleep really easily. He should have called out a name but his voice was stuck in his throat. He tightly held his blanket around himself and wandered into the living room. There was no one in there nor the kitchen.

Surely he hadn’t been left alone. He walked back down the narrow hallway and saw light pouring from the crack of a door. Surely someone had to be in there. He softly knocked on the door and with little time it flew open and a large man was towering over him. This wasn’t the officer.

 

It was an awkward silence. The wide, teary eyed boy just staring up at the man. He felt his chest tighten and for one of the first times in his life he was at a loss for words. He looked off to the side, doing everything he could to avoid looking at the kid.

The kid looked like he was ready to run at any moment.

 

This was dragging on too long for Shido’s liking so he held his arms out and knelt down. This was how most parents got their kids up to carry them, right?

“ Come on, I’ll fix you some hot chocolate. Is that something you’d like? “

Goro nodded and moved to wrap around Shido.

 

He rested his head over the man’s shoulder and closed his eyes before asking a question.

“ Who are you? “

Shido froze for a second. He hadn’t known what all Kameko had told the kid about him or their relationship but did it really matter now? She was gone and he was left with their son. There was no reason for him to be dishonest.

“ I’m your father. “

Goro visibly tensed up and leaned back to look at Shido’s face before frowning. Shido wiped away some of the boy’s tears with his hand and chuckled nervously.

“ What’s that look for? “

 

“ . . .”

The sound of silence was not a good sign. Just what the hell did that woman tell him. He couldn’t be any older than 5. Even at that age she shouldn’t have been telling him stuff about that, even if he did ask.

This entire arrangement was going to be harder than he’d first thought.

He put Goro down on the sofa and moved to the kitchen to start making the drinks.

 

“ Do you hate me? “

Shido stopped dead in his tracks and moved to look at Goro.

“ Mama always said that. . .if it weren’t for me you would have stayed with her and been a happy family. . .”

Shido looked his son up and down before shaking his head. Saying it was unexpected didn’t even begin to capture how off guard it’d caught the man.

 

“ No Goro, I don’t hate you there were just. . .some things that happened and I couldn’t be around. I’m here for you now, okay? “

Shido held Goro’s shoulders and the child nodded weakly. His father hugged him but he just closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.

“ Okay papa. “

Hearing the name he couldn’t help but hold the child- no his son, tighter.

 

A few moments later he let go and smiled awkwardly to Goro, handing him the hot chocolate he’d fixed for him. To his surprise he liked it alot, the smile on his face evidence enough. The white noise of the rain was enough to put him at ease despite the silence.

Once Goro finished, Shido could see the tiredness in the boy’s eyes. He picked him up and kept him wrapped in his little blanket, reaching Goro’s room quickly and laying him down in the bed once more.

“ Tomorrow we can get all your things so your room looks a little more yours, okay? “

Shido tucked Goro in, making sure he was comfortable.

“ Mhm. Good night papa. “

 

“ Good night Goro. “

He closed the door softly before pinching the bridge of his nose and moving to the kitchen to clean up the few dishes he’d had in the sink.

Taking care of a child wasn’t an easy feat and he didn't need to be a parent to know that but trying to take care of a child who’s so distant. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what was running through his head at a time like this. First off learning what Kameko had told Goro about him and then hearing that he thought the reason his mother died was him. It bothered him how he’d just seemed to believe it. No child of his would accept such insulting words.

 

His thoughts on that aside, he was tired. Getting called out _during_ a meeting was unacceptable and if it had been someone else he knows he would have spoken some words about them. He knew the same rule applied to himself. He wouldn’t hear the end of it. That’s not even mentioning the prep he had to do for Goro’s room. He never realized. Just how much junk he’d left in there due to its constant vacancy. The the fact that the station was so out of the way.

He heaved a sigh and slipped out of his pants and right into the bed. As soon as he’d laid back the fatigue hit him like a truck. Tomorrow would be even more of a hassle. He didn’t even know where Goro’s mom lived and deciding what was and was not important to get wasn’t a decision he felt he could make. Bringing Goro back was an option he hated but it was the only one he knew to make sense.

After a while of going over the to-do list for the next day, his mind just clocked out and he was dead asleep.

 

Hopefully the next day would go just a tad bit smoother.


	2. Chapter 2

“. . .Papa. . .”

Goro stood at the side of the bed and gently pulled at the man’s sleeve. He didn’t budge. Papa was a heavy sleeper it seemed. The small boy pouted and crawled up onto the bed, looking to his father before shaking him as hard as he could.

Shido, startled, almost pushed him off the bed but managed to hold himself back when he realized who it was. He held a hand over his chest and felt like he was dying. He’d heard stories of parents getting woken up in the morning by their kids but this was a heart attack in waiting.

“ Papa. . .I’m hungry. “ Those innocent eyes had no ill will in them. He couldn’t be mad even if he desperately wished he could be.

 

“ Is that how you got your mother up? “

The words just slipped out. It wasn’t until Goro’s eyes widened and he’d tensed up that he realized he’d said something bad.

 

“ M-mama liked to sleep a lot so. . .I. . .I had too because she was always so asleep and I. . .I can’t fix anything for myself, “ He jumped off the bed and held his head down, “ I- I didn’t mean to I swear! “

Despite not seeing Goro’s face, he could tell just from the quiver in his voice he was on the verge of tears. This was _not_ going to be the routine. it was lIke walkIng through a mInefIeld.

“ Goro It’s fine, you just scared me is all, okay? “

Shido pulled his glasses from the night stand and gently ruffled the boy’s hair. That’d calm him down some if what he’d seen on tv was accurate. Once he’d fished his pants from under the covers and pulled them on he held Goro’s hand and led him to the kitchen. He wasn’t talking but he was crying either, baby steps were being taken.

“ Do you lIke omelettes? “

Shido went to the refrigerator and grabbed a few eggs out of the cartoon along with some cheese and a small bag of diced ham. Goro watched curiously and shook his head.

“ I’ve never had one before. “

 

After placing everything on the counter and getting ready to cook, Shido knelt down and held Goro by the shoulders smiling.

“ Well Papa’s going to make you the best one ever!~ “

The light in Goro’s eyes told him he was doing something right. Now he just had to make sure he did this right. He had to make sure this was as good as promised. His son was watching him expectantly. Well. . . _was_ because after a while he ran out of the kitchen and had the tv on to Phoenix Rangers: Neo Featherman.

Maybe that’s how they’d decorate his room since he would need quite a lot of new sheets and the walls could use some flare, just to make it feel a little more lived in. He was glad that they’d already had a little bag of his clothes so he could change but there was still a bit back at Kameko’s apartment. That was the first task of the day. Then look into schools in the area. . .or was he even old enough yet?

Shido’s hands moved naturally as he started to put everything together. Featherman was on but Goro found himself looking over the couch at his father. This couldn’t be the dad that mom had talked about. . .he was kind and nice and he took Goro in! But Mama never lied. . .maybe this just wasn’t his dad and he was just a foster dad. Why was this so hard to think about? He pouted and laid back on the couch.

 

“ The table’s set, go wash your hands Goro. “

 

.

.

.

Breakfast was set and Shido took a seat in front of Goro who need a pillow to sit up further. Now was his time to show off his skills.

“ Goro, if you wouldn’t mind I’d like to get to know you better. “ Being a representative meant he had to be able to speak well. Even if Goro was a child, surely his skills would adapt accordingly. It was the perfect way to show him just how good his father was.

“ Sure papa! I wanna ask you things too! “ Goro held a hand under his omelette piece as he brought it to his mouth and smiled with delight. Papa really was a good cook and he was nice enough to cut it up for him too!

 

“ Well you’re the little boss today, you can go first. “ Shido smiled to himself and cut into his perfectly fixed omelette. It had been a while since he’d just sat down and ate something he’d fixed himself, much _much_ longer when it came to having eaten with anyone else. He wondered if this could be routine.

 

“ Hmm. . .are you bald? “

Goro thought it was an innocent enough question and Shido did as well. He’d always been asked that in his starting days.

 

The man let out a chuckle and cut into another piece of the omelette. “ Nope!~ I can have hair by this time next week~ “, He playfully said as he swallowed down his food. “ If I grow it out I could have hair as luscious as yours. “

That response obviously amused Goro. He giggled along and covered his mouth before looking up and smiling at Shido.

“ I wanna see it! “

 

Shido closed his eyes and smiled before rubbing the small patch on his chin.

“ I’ll show you pictures tomorrow~ For now, it’s my turn to ask you something. “

He leaned forward and did his best to make a playful face. When Goro laughed it sounded like angels welcoming him to heaven.

 

“ Mhm~ Don’t go easy! I’m a strong boy! “

Goro said it so confidently. The overwhelming pride he felt welling up in his chest. It was like a lion listening to it’s cub’s first roar.

The pressure was on him, he had to ask something tough for him.

“ Hmm, what sports can you play? “

 

Goro held his head down in a dramatic manner and held a hand over his heart. “ My weakness! “ He shook his head and let out a melodramatic sigh before smiling and moving to take another bite of his food. “ Mama never had the time and the other kids didn’t want to play with me. . .but I really like baseball! I want to play catch with you Papa! “

 

Was this what parenthood was like? Every smile got to him in a way nothing else could. When Goro was sad, rather than get angry he just wanted to make sure Goro was okay. Four going on five was described as the most stressful time for parents but. . .as far as Shido could tell, this was bliss. He shook away any thoughts of the past before they could get to him too much, he had other pressing matters.

“ Of course Goro! There’s a park nearby that we can visit anytime i’m off. “

 

Goro’s eyes sparked up and he could see the gears whirring in his son’s head. That curious look was a more than welcome one.

“ What do you work at- ah. . .I meant. . .where. “ The embarrassment that overtook his face, Shido couldn’t help but chuckle. For a kid his age he was pretty well put.

 

“ We all make mistakes. I am a representative in the government. “

Shido scooted his chair back and picked up his plate and fork, done with his meal. As he moved to put them in the sink he could feel Goro’s bewildered eyes on him.

 

“ Wow! That’s so cool papa! I. . .I want to be a detective and help people when I grow up! “ Seeing Papa’s finished plate Goro looked back to his and realized he still a ways to go. He wanted to clean his plate just like papa so he started to eat as much as he could.

 

“ Oh? That’s a good field to go into. When you’re old enough maybe your old man can help you out with studying. “

 

“ Would you really? People in the government work a lot, don’t they? “

He picked his plate up and cautiously got down from the chair, carrying it over to Shido. Shido reached for it and put it in with the rest.

 

“ I could find the time afterwards. You’ll have to read many books and put in a lot of work if you want to achieve success. “ He spoke sternly, adjusting his posture and continuing with the mundane task. “ When you become a famous detective people will look at you under a microscope and watch your every move. Know who’s there to help you become better and ignore those who simply want to drag you down. “

 

His father was beaming. He stood as confident a Red did and spoke so sincerely! Papa really was a hero.

“Mhm! I’ll be a hero to people just like you are to me Papa! “

Goro held his hands over his chest and jumped excitedly. Shido dried off his hands, ruffling Goro’s hair before picking him up. Goro giggled and laid his head on Shido’s shoulder.

 

“ Make sure you do your best Goro. Now we have a lot to do today. Let’s get ready. “

 

He would have been a fool to forget about updating the family registry. That was probably going to be the most difficult to deal with out of everything. The pressure to show his family registry once it had been updated. After winning his seat, public eye was on him in a way it hadn’t been before. Of course he’d shown off his registry at first, something many of his opponents were far too ashamed to do. Being of such a great lineage was quite the perk when it came to gaining public favor but with an unheard of child in the picture and one out of wedlock of all things. The trouble that’d cause for Goro wasn’t something he wanted to put on him. It was his own fault after all. He was lucky enough to get his name omitted from Goro’s but such efforts proved fruitless now.

.

.

.

After a nice hot shower and a bubbly bath for Goro, the two were all ready to take on the world. Well Shido was at the very least. Goro’s clothes were   _nowhere_ near acceptable. Tattered and torn at the seams, the holes in his pants, and he hadn’t even noticed it before but there was a hole in his shoe was well. This wouldn’t do at all but what places even sold children’s clothing that was to _his_ standard? He’d never had to think about it before but they’d have the time once they were done collecting valuables and the like. The day was young and even if they couldn’t today, Shido was off the next.

He threw the clothes on Goro and sighed. For now this would have to work even if it killed him inside to see a kid dressed like that. Down to the car they went and off to get the paperwork Shido needed.

Having nothing but the radio playing silently and Goro humming along was enough for Shido to clear his mind at the moment. It was a nice saturday morning. A shame he had to do all of this, it was the perfect day to practice catching with Goro. Thinking back to his own childhood, playing with his mother and father helped define him. A parent’s approval held more power than they realized sometimes. He’d need to make sure Goro was confident and sociable. He wanted to be a detective after all. Reading people and getting inside their heads was important for any type of high wage job if one wanted to succeed at it.

As for the family registry, with Kameko out of the picture and her parents having apparently disowned her, Shido could make up whatever story he’d wanted to. There were limits of course, nothing too outrageous, something that Goro could play into. The woman had no friends even when Shido had first met her during that assignment. She worked alone and she was a bright mind but her emotions got the better of her. A tragic tale this one would be. He couldn’t pull anything too far off from reality. It was most likely best to go with a simple story of her wanting to be independent while Shido built his career and waited for her. She was still Goro’s mother, he’d never want his father to speak so badly of her so he could at least grant Goro that.

.

.

.

Despite it being what he’d stressed over the most, changing the family registry was easy. Putting names in their proper places and getting the proper things stamped and officiated was quicker than what he’d expected. Maybe he would have time to pull out an old glove for Goro later in the day. A little trust building never hurt anyone.

Next was going back to the ‘apartment’ -if one could even call it that- which Goro had lived in. It was run down and he genuinely wondered how a woman like Kameko had fallen so far from grace. A break up with a man she’d only been with for a month wouldn’t have caused this much damage, even if Shido had wanted it to.

The stigma around an unwed mother was a strong one he’d been aware of when he’d let her go but this case seemed to be a bit extreme. Usually a friend or relative would stick around but it appeared no such person was around, the call he’d recieved the other night evidence enough of this fact.

Still ,however, in situations like these, grandparents wouldn’t hesitate to cause a scene trying to take back a kid. He’d have to wait to see what happened with that. Though from what he had known and experienced in his own lifetime, usually a family was quick to come to the home of a lost loved one and mourn. He wondered if someone she knew could be at the apartment today or tomorrow, he’d have to ask the officers about it.

Shido let out a harsh chuckle, a small little thing he’d hardly noticed. Maybe they were just waiting to see what happened. Goro seemed to already know about him, he wouldn’t put it past the woman to tell friends about him if she had any but wouldn’t he have heard the rumors by now if that were the case.

There was this strange pang in his chest. He certainly didn’t feel bad about leaving her but. . .he couldn’t deny how sad her situation had been.

Brief memories of her speaking fondly about her parents crossed his mind. He couldn’t recall ever caring that much about it yet here they were, things from 4 years ago about this woman coming to his mind now.

His eyes wandered to the mirror and he’d seen Goro who was looking out the window. He was quite the perceptive kid considering that not long after he turned to the mirror and showed a gentle smile to Shido.

 

Why was he suddenly feeling like this? At first he felt a simple pity for Goro. It’d be easy to use a kid like that for public stunts to help grow the public's favor towards him but Goro had been far more reserved than he first thought.

Kids were sponges. If you teach them something they soak it right up, Goro was around the age where that phrase held the most meaning and yet, Shido felt as though if he tried to ‘teach’ anything too risky, Goro would catch on.

Through some kind of twisted emotions, he was proud. Like father like son. He couldn’t just be reckless. He’d locked himself into this. Putting Goro into a foster home would not look good on him and at his current position, getting records like those covered up would be too much of an expense. He’d never let himself be in debt to someone else. It was his place to hold things over others.

 

Through his musings he’d already made his way to the apartment and it was far worse than he could have expected. To Goro’s benefit,  it was located close to a small park and a small grocery store was right down the street.

Once Shido had parked and gotten out, he moved to the back to let Goro out. Once he’d opened the door and his son stepped out his eyes seemed to glaze over. He looked like he was holding his breath, trying his best to stop himself from crying.

Shido rarely ever thought it, but he hated to do this to him. Maybe if he’d known Kameko a little better, stayed in some kind of contact-

No, that was a stupid thought. He wanted nothing to do with her or their kid. Acting like that was ever an option to him was quite dumb he’d though. For the first time in his life he’d felt a twinge of what regret was like.

 

Goro pulling on his hand was the only thing that had snapped him out of his thoughts. He hadn’t even realized there was an officer in front of him trying to lead him into the place. With a quick apology he’d followed the officer in, Goro tucked right by his leg the whole way there. The only thing he could think to do was keep goro’s hand held in his. The kid was shaking but just by looking at his face you’d never know it. His eyes looked straight forward and he looked determined to keep his cool. He was strong for someone so young. Shido could only be proud.

When the door opened, Goro slipped his hand out from Shido’s and stood in the small living area. The kitchen and ‘dining room’ were connected to the living room, the only real indicator that they were separate being the stained carpet floor changing to a grimey tile floor that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months. Goro just stood in the middle of it.

 

The small boy swallowed hard before taking another step forward. Everytime he lifted his arm even an inch, took a breath that was too long, or moved to fast he felt like he was being pressed down. That feeling always lingered but he’d never felt it like this before. It was always “Never make too much noise, or the neighbors will be upset with us”, “ Don’t bother mama when her door is closed or she’ll spank you” , “Make sure you always clean after yourself! What if he comes back?! “.

He pointed to a small shelf that was right next to a small clunky little tv.

“ That’s where mama keeps all the pictures. “

Shido had just been watching over Goro for the time being but hearing that, he couldn't help how his curiosity piqued. He’d assumed she hadn’t been the type to keep things like that after how she’d left.

What kind of things would a woman like that keep in a scrapbook?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the interest and kind words!~ ^u^ I’ve always wanted to do something where Shido properly took care of Goro (or at least tried to) but I was always a bit afraid it was a bit too. . .out there ^^; 
> 
> Consistent updates are not my forte so apologies but I will do my best to continue the story when I can!~


End file.
